Says immersion of ashes ‘neither our cultural practice nor religious belief’
Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 26
The decision of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Nagaland unit to go ahead with the immersion of the ashes of Late Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee continue to be met with stiff opposition from different quarters on the grounds that it is against the culture and religious belief of the Nagas.
A day after the intense criticism from the state’s Congress party (Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee) over the immersion issue, the Lotha Hoho, apex body of the Lotha tribe, on Sunday made it clear that it will not allow the BJP to immerse the ashes of the Late Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Wokha jurisdiction.
The reaction comes after the Nagaland state BJP president Temjen Inma Along, who brought the urn containing the ashes of the former Prime Minister on Thursday, announced that the ashes would be immersed in Doyang River under Wokha district on Monday.
While maintaining that the decision of the BJP Nagaland unit to immerse the ashes of Late Prime Minister in the rivers of Nagaland “will be doing it in their own reasons best known to them,” the Lotha Hoho however said they (BJP) may perform their rite in any part of Nagaland but will not be allowed to be performed in any part of Wokha jurisdiction for the reason that “it is neither our cultural practice nor religious belief.”
“We make it clear that we respect BJP as one of the national parties of the country, the various cultures of the country and most of all Late Vajpayee but that does not mean that we should allow our distinct culture to be diluted,” the statement from the Lotha Hoho chairman Mhao Humtsoe and general secretary Mhondamo Ovung read.
The NPCC had echoed their resentment on similar lines. It had slammed the BJP government for allegedly using the last remains of former PM for “petty political gains and the state BJP for observing rituals that are alien to our way of life.”
Chastising the BJP, the Congress had reminded that respecting others belief and culture should not be at the cost of compromising one’s very own belief and culture that forms the core foundation of one’s existence as individual and as tribe.
Apart from the Congress, there have been reports that a section of BJP workers and leaders were not happy over the move to immerse the ashes by following alien rituals. According to the report, the BJP leaders had suggested to the BJP state president to hold a prayer service instead, which was reportedly turned down.
The BJP president had also insisted that he was not observing any ritual but only showing respect to the departed leader. There has been uproar in various social media platform as well.
Vajpayee’s ashes to be immersed in Dhansiri
DIMAPUR, AUGUST 26 (MExN): Buckling under pressure, the BJP Nagaland unit on Sunday shelved its proposal to immerse the ashes of Late Atal Bihari Vaypayee, former Prime Minister at Doyang River. Instead, the ashes would be immersed in Dhansiri River in Dimapur.
This was confirmed by a source from the BJP to The Morung Express on Sunday. There has been uproar from different quarters on the decision of the BJP Nagaland to immerse the ashes of the former PM in Nagaland Rivers on the ground that it is against the culture and religious belief of the Nagas.
While canceling the plan to immerse the ashes in Doyang River, the BJP source however said it would go ahead with the immersion programme at Dhansiri River in Dimapur.
Bad politics to divide people on religio-socio-cultural line: NJCF
DIMAPUR, AUGUST 26 (MExN): The Nagaland Joint Christian Forum (NJCF) has expressed concern on the issue of immersion of ashes of the former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Nagaland.
NJCF vice president, Rev. Dr. N. Paphino in a press statement stated that “if a political party goes beyond the line of politics to hurt the religious/cultural sentiment of a particular community it would be constructed as bad politics to divide people on religio-socio-cultural line.”
“We are in consonant with the nation, mourning the death of a great leader of the nation but in his death let us not divide the society that is fragile and needing much healing touch,” the Forum stated while adding that imposing an alien cultural and religious practice in a land that do not practice such a thing will diminish the political view of unity and create a sense of insecurity in mind of the minority.
The Forum has therefore urged the BJP leadership of Nagaland to take the “sentiments of the community into consideration during this time when the nation is mourning the passing away of our leader whom we all respect and honour.”
